


Picking Petals Off Each Flower

by Kiramochis



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Flower AU, Flower Symbolism, Gaku is Tired, M/M, Ryu does not understand human customs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-06
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23505472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiramochis/pseuds/Kiramochis
Summary: Gaku thought briefly about their first encounter, when the stranger walked in for the first time two weeks ago. He did his usual hi how may I help you? speech, asking if he needed any help picking out flowers for a garden or if there was a certain lady friend he was buying for and if he needed some advice choosing the best ones. The stranger smiled and asked if they had any snapdragons in stock. When Gaku showed him where they kept their spring annuals he seemed more interested in how the shop owners took care of the plants on display than answering Gaku's questions about if he would like a bouquet or some seeds to take home. Gaku chalked him up as a weirdo and left him to his own devices after the last question had been asked.
Relationships: Tsunashi Ryuunosuke/Yaotome Gaku
Comments: 1
Kudos: 14





	1. The Non Buying Customer

**Author's Note:**

> My new AU! I just call it the Flower AU for simplicities sake

He was here again. Gaku didn't have to look up from the counter to know that the shop's newest recurring customer had walked under the bell. Although to call him a customer was a bit of an overstatement, he never bought anything. Gaku could understand, lots of people came into the shop only to look at the flowers, but this guy only seemed to hang around the snapdragons. He didn't even look at the seeds or any of the gardening supplies they sell.

Gaku watched as the unnamed, non buying customer walked past the counter, paying the worker no mind. He strolled over to the patch of white snapdragons on display and smiled fondly at it.

Gaku thought briefly about their first encounter, when the stranger walked in for the first time two weeks ago. He did his usual  _ hi how may I help you? _ speech, asking if he needed any help picking out flowers for a garden or if there was a certain lady friend he was buying for and if he needed some advice choosing the best ones. The stranger smiled and asked if they had any snapdragons in stock. When Gaku showed him where they kept their spring annuals he seemed more interested in how the shop owners took care of the plants on display than answering Gaku's questions about if he would like a bouquet or some seeds to take home. Gaku chalked him up as a weirdo and left him to his own devices after the last question had been asked.

Gaku's ears perked when he heard footsteps. The non buying customer seemed to have his fill of the flowers he loved so much and was making his way back to the exit.

"You can buy some seeds you know." The stranger stopped. "If you love snapdragons so much, you can grow some at home."

The man stared at Gaku for a while, or maybe he was looking past him. The one thing that always caught Gaku off guard whenever the two made eye contact (which is rare mind you) was the shade of his eyes. Gaku couldn't really talk since his eye color isn't exactly all that common either, but at least gray wasn't as foreign as the stranger's vibrant orange eyes. Sometimes it hurts for Gaku to look at.

"Okay." Gaku sighed in relief, but found himself having to play catchup when the stranger started to walk to the wall where they kept all the seeds.

"So what color are you looking for?" Gaku asked nervously. He wasn't sure what answer he was expecting, but seemed to anticipate the silence given.

Guys like this really did make his job all the more harder.

"W-we have a wide variety of colors! We have red, orange, white, pink and yellow. I'm sure you'll find one you like." This was getting him nowhere. Gaku cursed whatever universal force made him suggest he buy seeds. What on earth was he thinking!?

The stranger stared at the wall displaying all the snapdragon seeds they had available.

"Which ones do you like?" Gaku jumped out of his skin when the stranger looked him dead in the eyes.

"Uh, pink?" The stranger smiled and picked a package of pink colored snapdragon seeds from the shelf. Like before, the stranger pulled Gaku behind him like a toy on a string as he walked back to the counter to make his purchase. Gaku hoped he wouldn't have to deal with someone like this ever again as he stepped behind the counter.

*-*-*

Ryu smiled as he walked through the forest, a small package of seeds in hand. He was glad he was finally able to speak to the cashier at the store. All the flowers praised the silver haired man for his hard work and caring nature for his kind. Although he hadn't planned on buying anything from the store, Ryu couldn't do anything to make him seem suspicious.

Ryu skipped as he walked closer to the log cabin he and a few others called home.

"You seem happy." One of Ryu's roommates, Tenn, said when he noticed his return. Currently he was in the garden that lined the front of their home. "I take it your trip to the city was a good one?"

"Yep! Look what I got!" Ryu showed Tenn the little package.

"You bought flowers?" Tenn raised an eyebrow. Ryu nodded.

"Gaku picked them out." 

Tenn rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You know it's a bad idea to get close to humans Ryu."

"I know but, you should hear the things they say about him! Everytime I visit the flowers have nothing but good things to say about Gaku."

Tenn signed and returned to his work. It was useless trying to convince Ryu not to get close to humans. He adored them, and sometimes he forgot to keep his distance and would sulk for a few weeks when he found out a human he took a liking to died. Hopefully he wouldn't try to get too close to this human, for both his own safety and Tenn's patience.


	2. Coffee Beans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Thinking about your mystery boyfriend?"
> 
> "He is not my boyfriend, I don't even know his name." Gaku moved onto the next plant.
> 
> "Has not knowing a name ever stopped you from falling in love?" Mitsuki smirked when he saw the tips of Gaku's ears grow hot. "Honestly you fall in love so quickly you should change your name to Romeo!"
> 
> "Shut up!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, I get a second chapter of something out. RIP to all my other multichapter works, but this one is different

It had been some time since Gaku saw Mr.Snapdragon walk into the store. If he wasn't such an odd person, Gaku probably would have moved on to thinking about bigger and better things. Yet he was always reminded of him whenever it was time to water the display plants, or when making a bouquet that had snapdragons in it.

"Are you feeling okay Gaku-san?" Gaku looked down at one of his coworkers, Mitsuki. Mitsuki was the type of person who could easily bring someone back to earth if their head was in the clouds. Gaku found it odd that he was still single, he was quite charming. Maybe his height was the issue.

"Yeah, why?" It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the full truth either. Gaku would never hear the end of it from Mitsuki if he told him he was still thinking about Mr.Snapdragon.

"You've been staring at that flower for a while." Mitsuki pointed at the white snapdragon Gaku was watering. "Thinking about your mystery boyfriend?"

"He is not my boyfriend, I don't even know his name." Gaku moved onto the next plant.

"Has not knowing a name ever stopped _you_ from falling in love?" Mitsuki smirked when he saw the tips of Gaku's ears grow hot. "Honestly you fall in love so quickly you should change your name to Romeo!"

"Shut up!" Gaku moved away from the Spring Annual section. Mitsuki laughed and followed him. Gaku knew his friend meant well but that doesn't mean he can completely tolerate his teasing most of the time. Mitsuki is the kind of person who likes to playfully tease his friends, but at this point Gaku can't tell if it's teasing or trying to get on his nerves.

"Are we bullying Gaku-kun?" The owner of the shop, Yuki, poked out from behind a shelf. "Why didn't you invite me?"

"I am not getting bullied!" Gaku hurried past his boss and friend. He heard Mitsuki's boisterous laugh harmonize with Yuki's gentler chuckle. Why was Gaku always the butt of the joke?

"Sorry Gaku-san, we couldn't help it." Mitsuki apologized, catching up to Gaku and clapping his shoulder.

"You're just very easy to tease." Yuki gave a smile sharp enough to send shivers down anyone's spine.

"Thanks guys." Gaku sighed and continued to water the display flowers.

The jingle of the shop's bell caught their attention. Gaku paid the customer no mind as Mitsuki was the one who greeted them. Yuki seemed to have disappeared into thin air the second they walked in, probably retreating back to his office. Sometimes Gaku wondered if Yuki hated dealing with customers since he's hardly seen in the display room at all most days. 

Gaku moved over to the beginning of the Summer Annual section. Since Spring was coming to an end he made sure that the newest stock of colorful flowers were enough to grab someone's eye. If he was allowed to toot his horn, Gaku thinks he did a wonderful job. The silver haired male took a quick glance around the shop, noticing that he hadn't heard Mitsuki and the customer pass by him yet. At a single glance towards the door Gaku choked on his own spit.

Mitsuki was laughing and joking with Mr.Snapdragon, who was smiling back and laughing with him. Mr.Snapdragon seemed to have noticed Gaku and smiled at him instead. Gaku didn't even know he could smile at anything besides a plant. Mitsuki turned around and gave Gaku a greedy grin before probably baking up a half assed excuse and left.

Now without a middle man between them, Mr.Snapdragon walked over to Gaku. He sorta panicked and almost dropped his watering can. Why was he here? Did he specifically ask for Gaku?? Was there something wrong with the flowers he sold him???

"Hello." Mr.Snapdragon gave a soft smile. In a way, it reminded Gaku of the way he looked at the flowers.

"H-hello." If Gaku didn't want to appear nervous, he was failing. His palms were sweaty and the handle of the can was slipping in his grasp.

"Will you go out with me?" The sound of metal hitting tile resounded throughout the store. Seriously what was this dude's problem! First he spends two full weeks staring at a single type of flower, disappears for a few weeks and shows up out of nowhere to ask Gaku out on a date? If this wasn't incredibly creepy, Gaku would almost be flattered.

Mr.Snapdragon started to panic when Gaku didn't respond. "I'm sorry did I upset you?" He picked up the watering can Gaku dropped. Gaku gently took the can back, trying not to brush their fingers together.

"You…" Gaku took a deep breath "No."

"No?" Mr.Snapdragon tilted his head in confusion. What did he expect Gaku to scream yes and jump in his arms like a marriage proposal?

"That's my answer. No. I'm not going to go out with you."

"Ah. I see." Mr.Snapdragon seemed upset. "I'm sorry for taking up your time." Like an afterthought in the wind, Mr.Snapdragon left the store. The only indication that he was ever in the store was the bell's jingle as he left.

Gaku sighed and went back to watering the display flowers. What a strange guy he is. He doesn't want to dwell on this much longer, but knowing him he probably will. Plus it's not like Mitsuki or Yuki will ever let him live it down.

"That went well." Mitsuki's voice poked out from behind an azalea. "You could have been a little gentler with him Gaku-san."

"How would you respond to a stranger asking you out in the middle of work?" Gaku snipped back.

"Fair point." Mitsuki sighed and went to the front of the store to manage the counter. Great, now Mitsuki was mad at him. This day was just getting worse and worse wasn't it?

*-*-*

When Ryu announced his arrival home Riku perked up from the kitchen. The redhead skipped over to him like a puppy greeting their favorite human, eager to hear about his outing.

"How was your trip to the city Ryu?" Riku followed Ryu into the kitchen.

"Not very good." Ryu handed the other a cake box. "I picked up something for you and Tenn, don't eat all of it at once okay?"

"Okay!" Riku placed the box onto the nearest counter.

"Did something bad happen?" Tenn asked from the dining room table. Apparently he and Riku were working on a puzzle while Ryu was away.

"I was rejected." Ryu slumped into a chair at the table.

"Well no wonder, Gaku hardly knows you." Tenn placed another piece into the puzzle. "You two are practically strangers."

"I know but I was hoping he would have said yes." Ryu sighed loudly and slammed his head onto the table.

"Cheer up Ryu!" Riku chirped, his usual optimism being sent to Ryu in waves. It hardly helped to cheer up Ryu, but he appreciated the kindness.

"Riku is right, there's no use crying over spilled milk, Ryu."

"You just have to try harder next time!"

"That is the opposite of what I meant Riku!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is Gaku ever going to learn Ryu's name? Probably

**Author's Note:**

> And now for the explinations
> 
> So basically this is a revamp of an old AU I did back when I was about 16 or so. It was supposed to be an AU for a Haikyuu RP Group that disbanded a few months after I made the AU. It was loosely based on Steven Universe were instead of the characters being gems, they were flowers. I ended up forgetting about it until around the end of March. I had completely forgotten most of the details about the AU and the document that had the information is nowhere to be found, so I ended up remaking the whole thing and repurposed it for IDOLiSH7!
> 
> Basically in this AU there exists beings that are the personifications of flowers. Each flower plant has one personification. Personifications are born whenever a new flower is born and when a species goes extinct their personification ("Flower" as I call them) dies. Flowers are able to "read" the emotions of their plant and almost sort of speak to them. Their eye color is also the most common color for their flower so a few characters have different colored eyes than in canon
> 
> In this AU, Ryu is the personification of the snapdragon flower. He lives with Tenn, Riku, Sogo, Nagi, Momo, Minami, Torao and Tsumugi! Most of their flowers where picked based on a core part of their personality, something commonly associated with that character or part of their character arc in the series, with the exception being Tenn and Riku. They both represent roses with Tenn being pink and Riku being red but they were mostly choosen for an aesthetical purpose than their actual meaning. Here is a list with all the Flowers and their meanings! (hopefully I got the correct Hanakotoba meanings) :
> 
> Sogo: Violet (Honesty)  
> Nagi: Iris (Good News, Glad Tidings, Loyalty)  
> Riku: Red Rose (Love, In Love)  
> Tenn: Pink Rose (Trust, Happiness, Confidence)  
> Ryu: Snapdragon (Graciousness, Deception)  
> Momo: Jasmine (Friendly, Graceful)  
> Minami: White Camellia (Waiting)  
> Torao: Tiger Lily (Wealth)  
> Tsumugi: Pansy (Thoughtful, Caring)
> 
> Fun Fact: The reason Minami is specifically the White Camellia instead of just Camellia's as a whole is because Tsumugi originally represented the Yellow Camellia so they would have been "siblings" in the AU much like Tenn and Riku before I decided to make Tsumugi the Pansy.
> 
> I honestly don't have anything past the 2nd chapter planned but let's see were this new AU takes us.
> 
> If you see any grammatical errors, or if anything doesn't flow easy please let me know!
> 
> Scream with me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/kiramochis/) about flowers OR follow my [writing Twitter](https://twitter.com/kirapenn/) to gain access to WIPS and other cool stuff! Hooray!!


End file.
